Film
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Decades after an eccentric father builds his adopted Chinese daughter a playhouse to shield her from a world that won't accept her, dementia forces her to become the architect of his fading memory.
Director Statement
Straddling two worlds defined my childhood - one where I was the only Asian face in a white suburban landscape, and another within the warm embrace of a father who traveled halfway around the world to make me his daughter. When neighborhood kids would taunt me for being different, my father's fierce defense, though well-intentioned, only heightened my sense of otherness.
Yet now, crafting this narrative has revealed how those very moments of discomfort illuminated an unbreakable bond between parent and child.
Girl | Dad explores how love transcends cultural divides, even as memory begins to slip away. It's a testament to the truth that family isn't defined by blood or race, but by connections that defy all boundaries.
The film also delves into the hidden heartache of aging - that profound role reversal when children become caretakers, and the quiet grief of losing someone who still remains.
It's a story about finding home in those we've loved and lost, and discovering the courage to embrace our true selves. And it's dedicated to my own Girl-Dad, Jim, who loves Westerns and speaks terrible Mandarin.
Director
Lianzi Fields
Writer
Rachel Eck
Producer
Patrick Shahabian
DP
Dominic Musacchio
EP
Sherry Cola
Key Cast
"Adult Xiaohua"
Good Trouble, Joy Ride
Chris Tallman
Key Cast
"Younger Jack"
The Thundermans, Reno 911
Stephen MacDonald Howard
Key Cast
"Older Jack"
Siyu Liang
Key Cast
"Child Xiaohua"
Trang Vo
Key Cast
"Teen Xiaohua"
Jodi Hou
Key Cast
"Tween Xiaohua"
Ashley Platz
Key Cast
"Nurse"
Amy Bury
Key Cast
"Gossiping Woman"
Bo Deutschman
Key Cast
"Mean Boy 1"
Wyatt Deutschman
Key Cast
"Mean Boy 2"
Max Goldblatt
Editor
Caitlin Bruner
Producer
Eliot Krimsky
Composer
Girl | Dad
| Girl | Dad | |
| Narrative Short Films, Comedy or Dramedy Films | |
| anticipatory grief, dementia, mental health, grief, relationships, family, adoption, caregiver | |
| 20 minutes | |
| United States | |
| 2025 | |
| English |
Synopsis:
Girl | Dad lets dementia make visible what every child eventually faces — the grief of losing a parent to time.Decades after an eccentric father builds his adopted Chinese daughter a playhouse to shield her from a world that won't accept her, dementia forces her to become the architect of his fading memory.
Director Statement
Straddling two worlds defined my childhood - one where I was the only Asian face in a white suburban landscape, and another within the warm embrace of a father who traveled halfway around the world to make me his daughter. When neighborhood kids would taunt me for being different, my father's fierce defense, though well-intentioned, only heightened my sense of otherness.
Yet now, crafting this narrative has revealed how those very moments of discomfort illuminated an unbreakable bond between parent and child.
Girl | Dad explores how love transcends cultural divides, even as memory begins to slip away. It's a testament to the truth that family isn't defined by blood or race, but by connections that defy all boundaries.
The film also delves into the hidden heartache of aging - that profound role reversal when children become caretakers, and the quiet grief of losing someone who still remains.
It's a story about finding home in those we've loved and lost, and discovering the courage to embrace our true selves. And it's dedicated to my own Girl-Dad, Jim, who loves Westerns and speaks terrible Mandarin.
Credits:
Lianzi FieldsDirector
Lianzi Fields
Writer
Rachel Eck
Producer
Patrick Shahabian
DP
Dominic Musacchio
EP
Sherry Cola
Key Cast
"Adult Xiaohua"
Good Trouble, Joy Ride
Chris Tallman
Key Cast
"Younger Jack"
The Thundermans, Reno 911
Stephen MacDonald Howard
Key Cast
"Older Jack"
Siyu Liang
Key Cast
"Child Xiaohua"
Trang Vo
Key Cast
"Teen Xiaohua"
Jodi Hou
Key Cast
"Tween Xiaohua"
Ashley Platz
Key Cast
"Nurse"
Amy Bury
Key Cast
"Gossiping Woman"
Bo Deutschman
Key Cast
"Mean Boy 1"
Wyatt Deutschman
Key Cast
"Mean Boy 2"
Max Goldblatt
Editor
Caitlin Bruner
Producer
Eliot Krimsky
Composer